When Heroes Fly has a compelling premise: four soldiers who survived peak combat experience in the 2006 Lebanon War reunite to find a long-lost lover/sister who had been presumed dead for years. The production values, the concept, the ambition are cut from the cloth that Grade A productions are made. The problem lies with its execution, which sometimes is cut from the cloth of Grade C. When Heroes Fly is like dining in an elegant restaurant with crystal stemware, linen tablecloths, but plastic knives, forks, and spoons. The dialogue is clunky, particularly when the characters speak in English (none of the actors is a native English speaker; they hail from Israel or Latin America). The emotional notes and nuance are frequently missed in both words and in plot. And narratively (as in plot), there are several swings and strike-outs that one has to wonder whether these players are professional despite being in a Major League Stadium in prime time. I won't give away any spoilers, but, for example, the emotional miscues could be akin to the Apocalypse's imminent arrival and the response being, "There is a sale on mayonnaise at the supermarket." With respect to the plot failings, I cannot understand why the authors didn't up the ante by making each of the former soldiers gifted with respect to some sort of talent such that their "mission" to save their former lover/sister/friend would be more thought-out. One soldier could have been prodigy with technology; another with survivalist instincts to aid them in their jungle expedition; another with sharp-shooting - the constellation of which would have had them attempt the impossible with a fighting chance, all the while recognizing their underdog status. Instead, narratively, this plays as if the Three Stooges fall ass-backwards into some Deep State cabal and somehow think that they, ill-equipped and clueless, can capture the flag and reign victorious. The narrative, at times, is so sophomoric, I had to question whether I was watching a remake of The Goonies or whether this was some sophisticated production featuring grown men with real-world weighty concerns. To add insult to injury, the cult-component to the story really made little sense, and as it played out, undercut the narrative thrust for the story's denouement. Did the writers even take note? Did they realize that the core of their conflict was hollow?
When Heroes Fly could have been great. It wasn't. It didn't come close. It was fun, because I've been to both Israel and Colombia, and I am intimately acquainted with both cultures. It was the writing that failed. It was the lack of thought into the depth of the characters and what was driving them, as well as the lack of narrative sense to the story that ultimately compromised this production's aspirations.
I don't necessarily recommend or not recommend. I've seen worse and been more bothered by poorer treatment in the past. As I wrote above, this was like going to an elegant restaurant and drinking from paper cups. There was a lot of good. At the same time, it was sloppy, and it wouldn't have taken much to have tightened the story and had it resolve in a meaningful, logical, and emotionally resonant manner. When Heroes Fly had the potential to haunt me after I was finished watching it, thinking about its implications and still shaking from its impact. Instead, my thought was of what to watch next. It could have been a nutritious and delicious meal made from scratch. Instead, it was a frozen TV dinner.
